Souper Sunday....Yia-Yia's NO fail Chili

It's been a while since I have had a "Souper Sunday" :)  Once again, it's not necessarily a soup.....but I would definitely put it in the soup category. It's my winter time stand-by....CHILI!  This chili has been perfected in my family for years, each of us has our own twist.  I think my sister puts fresh tomatoes and maybe some salsa in hers???  My mom only puts whole tomatoes in hers. I add spices that they don't add, and I love to use black beans.  We all have our twist on it, but at the end of the day it's my grandmothers basic recipe.  There's only one condition- you keep it simple, make it easy and serve it with some great accompaniments.

Ingredients:

Canned Goods:
2 cans "Fire Roasted" diced tomatoes
1 can whole tomatoes
2 cans "Chili Hot Beans"
2 cans kidney beans
1 can black beans

Spices:
1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 tablespoon Cumin
1.5 tablespoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (depending on your spice tolerance)
1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning (optional)
Salt and Pepper

Other:
2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey (if you make it with ground turkey, add 3/4 cup of chicken stock)
4-5 garlic cloves, grated into the chili after you add the spices
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery- diced
3 small white onions- rough chopped


Directions:

In a large stock pot heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the rough chopped onions and celery.  Sweat the veggies for about 5-6 minutes.  Add in ground beef or turkey and then add the spices including a generous amount of salt and pepper (about 6-7 turns of a grinder and about a tablespoon of salt).  It's important to add the spices at this stage--if you add it to the meat and veggies it will flavor the chili for the duration of the cooking.  Brown the meat thoroughly.  Add the grated garlic cloves.

Add the tomatoes and beans to the pot (and chicken stock if you've made it with turkey).  Also, add my secret ingredient- the balsamic vinegar- it will brighten up the canned veggies, especially the tomatoes and give the chili a depth of flavor you weren't expecting from a chili.

Bring chili to a boil for about 8-10 minutes, stirring often.  Turn to low, very low heat and let simmer for 5-6 hours minimum- covered.  Serve with corn muffins, tortilla chips, shredded pepper jack cheese, sour cream and diced red onion....OH! And a great mexican beer with lime :) 

I promise, you will love this chili!  It's a one pot wonder for sure.